12 November 2019 – Agenda
SUMMONS TO ATTEND A MEETING OF POLICY & RESOURCES COMMITTEE
TO: All Members of the Policy & Resources Committee
Cllrs B Austin, D Bretherton, N Champken-Woods, D Dodds, M Dyer (Chairman), L Emery (Deputy Chairman), H Fickling, S Francis, C Jones and J Tipping
Ex Officio (Voting) Members – A Midwinter (Town Mayor) and P Cowell (Deputy Mayor)
To all other Members for information
VENUE: Upper Chamber, Thame Town Hall
DATE: Tuesday 12 November 2019
TIME: 6.30 pm (maximum two hours)
Graham Hunt
Clerk of the Council
Date: 6 November 2019
AGENDA
1 Apologies for Absence
2 Declarations of Interest and Dispensations
To notify of any items that appear in the agenda in which there may be an interest that has not been recorded in the Member’s Register of Interest; and confirmation of any relevant dispensations.
3 Public Participation and Public Questions
To consider applications from members of the public to address the Committee (5 minutes maximum), in respect of any item of business included in the agenda. Applications to speak must have been received by the Town Clerk no later than 5pm on the last working day preceding the meeting.
To consider questions from members of the public (who live, work or run a business in the Parish). Written questions must have been received by the Town Clerk no later than 4pm on the last working day preceding the meeting.
4 Investment Portfolio
To receive an annual report from Rupert Baron and Thomas Weston Davies of Rathbone Brothers plc.
5 Citizens Advice
To receive a presentation from Jon Bright, Director of Citizens Advice Oxfordshire South & Vale on their work in Thame.
6 Minutes
To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the Committee Meeting held on 30 July 2019.
7 Financial Update
a) Budget Summary: To monitor actual income and expenditure against estimates.
7a. Budgetary Control to 30.09.19
b) Balance Sheet: To note balance sheet as at 30 September 2019.
c) To note that under Financial Regulation 4.5, the Town Clerk authorised urgent wet pour repairs at Southern Road Recreation Ground South Pole Play Area at a total cost of £4,658, in excess of the £3,500 budget line, with the excess being covered from General Reserves.
d) To note that under Financial Regulation 4.5, the Town Clerk authorised the purchase of an emergency replacement PC at a cost of £974 from the Rolling Capital Fund.
e) To note that the Office Administration Manager has renewed contracts with Chipside, the DVLA, Chiltern Lifts and Everbrite (town hall window cleaning) all at the same terms as previously.
f) To note that Cllr Sonja Francis has asked for her Member’s Allowance to be vired to the Localism and Environmental Reserve.
8 Financial Overspends
To note the following financial overspends against budget line items (greater than the agreed de minimis of £100 / 5%) have been recorded since the last meeting of the Committee:
a) Recruitment Advertising (101/4030) is overspent by approximately £400. The overspend resulted in a successful campaign for replacement recruitment of the Town Clerk. The recruitment campaign for the Project Officer will result in a further overspend.
b) Museum Maintenance (120/4036) is overspent by £250 and as reported elsewhere, further spend is required.
All of the above will be covered initially by underspends elsewhere and ultimately from the General Reserve Fund. They are all factored into the predicted outturn as part of the budget setting process.
To note that overspends are forecast against the following budget lines, as part of the predicted outturn for budget setting purposes:
a) 4008/101 – Staff Training
b) 4023/101 – Consultancy Costs
c) 4208/105 – Senior Citizen Tea Party
d) 4036/201 – Cuttlebrook Maintenance
e) 4110/202 – Skips
f) 4036/211 – Memorial Gardens Maintenance (Ponds and Statue)
g) 4132/217 – Open Space Tree Maintenance
9 Investment Update
To note the summary of the investment performance.
Portfolio Performance Summary
10 Reports from Representatives on External Organisations
To receive reports from the nominated representatives on:
a) Barns Centre (Cllrs Deacock and Dodds)
b) Citizens Advice (Cllr Austin)
c) Health Hub (including Community Hub Pilot) (Cllr Champken-Woods)
d) NALC (Cllr Dyer)
e) Red Kite Family Centre (Cllr Emery)
f) Thame Business Forum (Cllr Dyer)
g) Thame & District Day Centre (Cllr Midwinter)
h) Thame & District Housing Association (Cllr Emery)
i) Thame Youth Memorial Trust (Cllr Tipping)
j) Thame Youth Projects Group (Cllr Tipping)
k) 21st Century Thame (Cllr Fickling and Francis)
l) Welfare Trust (Cllr Champken-Woods)
Reports – External Organisations
11 Internal Audit
To receive the First Interim Internal Audit Report 2019-20, following the audit visit on 17 October 2019.
Report – Internal Audit
First Interim Internal Audit Report 2019-20
12 Thame Barns Centre
To receive the Annual Report and Accounts as presented to and approved at the Barns Centre AGM on 15 August 2019.
Thame Barns Centre – Annual Report Statement of Accounts
13 Environmental Policy
To consider the adoption of an Environmental Policy.
Environmental Policy v7
14 Severe Weather Policy
To review and approve the cosmetically updated Severe Weather Policy and its supporting appendices.
Severe Weather Policy
Severe Weather Policy Appendix 1
Severe Weather Policy Appendix 2
15 Stones Close Allotments Partnering Agreement
To authorise the sealing of the renewed partnering agreement.
Report – Stones Close Allotments Partnering Agreement
Stones Close Allotments Partnering Agreement
16 Thame Museum External Condition Survey
To receive an External Condition Survey report for the Museum building and authorise the required next steps.
Report – Thame Museum
Thame Museum External Condition Survey
17 Car Boot Sale
To consider a request to use Southern Road Recreation Ground as a venue for 14 car boot sales, fortnightly from April to September 2020.
Report – Car Boot Sales Proposal
Car Boot Sale Proposal
18 Thame Players Grant Funding
To consider a request to redirect awarded grant funding.
Report – Thame Players Grant Funding
19 Free Use / De Minimis Delegated Authority
To note that the Town Clerk, through Free Use / De Minimis delegated authority, has granted the following:
a) Free use of Town Hall meeting room for monthly SOHA 2 hour drop-ins (five month trial)
b) Free use of Upper Chamber for Tennis Club AGM (while clubhouse being rebuilt) – 04/11/19
c) Free use of Upper Chamber for Thame Sports Club AGM (while clubhouse being rebuilt) – 25/11/19
d) Charity rate to Oxfordshire County Music Service for Easter concert
e) 10 hours of free evening use of Upper Chamber for Thame & District Day Centre
20 Compliments & Complaints
To note the report.
Report – Compliments & Complaints 30.09.19
21 Staffing Update
To note that the provision of work experience for three students from Lord Williams’s School for the week commencing 8 July 2019 was a success.
To note that a Personnel Committee meeting was held on 22 October 2019 at which Grading Levels, Appraisal Outcomes, Staffing Matters and Staffing Costs / Gradings were discussed.
To note that the replacement of the retiring Town Clerk as agreed at the 9 July 2019 meeting of the Personnel Committee has proceeded to plan with Jayne Cole selected as his successor, starting full time on 4 November 2019. Handover will be executed throughout November, with Jayne taking on the formal Proper Officer role from 20 November 2019. Graham will provide a support service as required beyond his formal retirement on 30 November 2019.
To note that the replacement of the Asset Manager and associated restructure as agreed at the 9 July 2019 meeting of the Personnel Committee has proceeded to plan, with promotional changes for three officers, an increase in working hours of a fourth and the recruitment of a Project Officer being the next and final step.
To note that Julian Blake has replaced Glen Johansen as the Saturday Car Park Attendant.
22 For Information
a) CCTV Half Yearly Report: 1 April 2019 – 31 Oct 2019.
CCTV Quarterly Report
b) Christmas Closure – to note that the Town Hall will be closed from 1pm on Tuesday 24 December 2019 and will reopen at 9am on Thursday 2 January 2020, in line with the arrangements agreed for 2015, the last time that Christmas Day fell on a working day with more than one working day before it. The usual provision of notices / emergency telephone number will continue, and some officers may choose to work on the closure days.